I would be sad if Kobe is looking for 12+ million a year still come next summer. The guy can bathe in money and if he takes a significant pay cut he puts not only the organization but himself in prime position to add to both their legacies. Two max contract players plus Kobe and a little more money for some solid surrounding talent is what the Lakers need, not players pushing 40 sucking up the entire cap.

Im sure there are teams that doesnt care if he can win the a championship or not but more about selling tickets. You telling me those bad teams wouldn't pay him 30m when they know with Kobe, he can bring them in more than 30m profit?

I'm almost positive that other teams can't even offer him $30M a year under the CBA.

The Lakers aren't going to pay Kobe a ridiculous amount of money when it would jeopardize the future of the franchise.

Yes the Lakers wont but why would the bobcats even care about future and franchise? Like i said before, Kobe will get his money else where. It just a matter of if Kobe wants to thats all. Im sure there are bad teams who doesnt give a crap about future and winning and only care about selling tickets will pay Kobe a lot of money. You saying no team will want to do it and i disagree

MDA is an offensive genius. I hope he sticks to his guns and keeps doing what he does best: Run and Gun. That's the only way to coach.

forget about how much. Kobe can still get the max if he wants to. It just certain teams wont do it. But there will be a team that will do it mainly for ticket purposes. thats my point. So for saying Kobe cannot get a big deal anymore is ludicrous

MDA is an offensive genius. I hope he sticks to his guns and keeps doing what he does best: Run and Gun. That's the only way to coach.

There is clearly a misunderstanding here. And it's because people have different ideas of what a "pay cut" really means.

Strictly speaking, it means accepting a salary that's less than what you had before. There's also the other interpretation, which is for a player to take less than his fair market value. That is probably what Kobe meant.

I don't think Kobe is expecting to make $30 million dollars again in 2014. He's not oblivious, after all. But he clearly isn't interested in giving the team a "home town discount" either. It doesn't sound like it even crossed his mind. By taking a hard stance in negotiations, he just wants to make whatever he's worth in free agency next summer. Depending on how well Kobe plays this season, that value could be anywhere from $12M to $20M.

First of all, you are all so quick to cut one of the goat and one of the few players that lives, breathes, and sweats purple and gold? Didn't a player that "deserves" a max contract just skip town on us and half assed most of the season especially in the playoffs? If kobe is able to play like he did last year minus the injury, then he would deserve 15+ million easily for his impact play.

Except kobe is not ignorant nor stupid to take a 20+ million dollar contract.. even if he could play up to it knowing how it could effect the team.

Kobe is going to work with the front office to get as much as possible that is reasonable that will allow the team to get max players/ leave room for the future.

You seriously wanna' compare this to average people like us? Most of us who don't have enough money to be chill, retire, & live more than comfortably the rest of our lives?

it still applies. Money makes the world go around, you don't think a well off doesn't like his money? and doesn't want to continue to get as much as possible? remember how kobe almost got divorced and a lot of money was about to be given away?

kobe is not a transition defender anymore, and he isn't a hustle player...That's the facts

he works SMARt on defense.

I kinda think people don't understand the game.

this is the easiest way to put it, when Kobe is NOT in the game, our defense goes to hell.

Kobe , last season, was the best perimeter defender on the Lakers, and it wasn't even close.

people see Paul george's youth or Tony Allen's ferocity and that want Kobe to play d like that, meanwhile LeBron fooled PG for an EASY GW lay-up and it's little things like that, that you won't see from Kobe Bean.